So while our new pizza peel dramatically helps the homemade pizza effort, so also do new ideas. Like BFF Kelly’s suggestion of pesto pizza topped with tomatoes. Yum! This is officially my new favorite. Since at our house homemade pizza means homemade on every level (down to the cheese), we went for it with the pesto as well.

Making the Dough1. Combine 4 cups flour, 2 pinches of salt, 1/2 tbs olive oil, and 1 package active dry yeast in a food processor and pulse to combine. 2. With the food processor running, slowly add a little over 1.5 cups warm water, until the dough is wet (but not sticky) and forms a ball. 3. Turn off food processor 10 seconds after the dough forms a ball. 4. Place the dough in greased bowl. Place bowl in warm, humid place covered with a dish towel for at least 1 hour. **Tip: The longer you let the dough rest, the better! We suggest letting it rest several hours before baking for the best consistency. Makes two pizza crusts.

Making the Pesto**The process below is based on this basil pesto recipe, which is more exact about quantities. We didn’t have near enough basil for that recipe since it is the middle of winter, so we used a very small amount of sad frozen basil left over from the summer. (It actually worked out!) This was enough pesto for one pizza. 1. Toast a handful pinenuts in the oven (at 350°F for around 10 minutes) or in a skillet on the stove (be careful not to burn them!). 2. Combine a handful of fresh or frozen basil leaves with the pinenuts in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. 3. Add a clove of garlic and pulse to combine again. 4. While the food processor is on, pour in olive oil until you obtain the desired consistency. 5. Stop the food processor and add grated Parmesan cheese, pulsing to combine. 6. Add kosher salt and ground pepper to taste.

Assembling the Pizza1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 430°F . 2. Divide the dough into two pieces. (If making one pizza, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer for later.) 3. Knead the dough a bit, then roll it out to the desired size and thickness onto a pizza peel (if you have one). If you don’t, take the preheated pizza stone out of the oven and place the crust on the stone (careful, it’s hot!). You can also hand-toss the crust if you’re ambitious – per Alex, it worked great! 4. Top the pizza with (in the following order and the quantity of your choice); -Basil Pesto -Cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, pecorino, etc) -Sliced Tomatoes-Salt-Freshly grated parmesan cheese5. Place the pizza in the over and bake until the cheese is melted and browned (around 10 minutes or so). Wait a few minutes for it to cool and enjoy!